But parents raised concerns over safety and increased truancy if the plan went into effect.

So, the district and Septa worked out an agreement to restructure some debt and preserve the Septa rides for those public, private, and charter school students, according to school district spokesman Fernando Gallard.

“We are far enough into the conversations to be able to say that we are maintaining the services as they were last year,” he told KYW Newsradio today.

Public schools open on schedule this coming Monday, while the district continues to bank on a cigarette tax, currently stalled in Harrisburg, to avoid further program cuts.